Early in the morning today I surely was in a good mood, because I don't have much to do back at the office, other than some inspections. Thus, the plan was to take it easy today, but not too easy.
Why?
Because you can't and should never let the office know that you're in a jolly mood. If you're enjoying your day a bit too much, then they'll normally take this as an opportunity to ruin your day by handing you some extra work. And I sure as hell wasn't gonna let that happen, not today at least.
I was in that treat yo self mood today, so I decided to ditch prepping up some coffee at home.
Every now and then I do like to have my morning coffee at my favorite coffee shop, even though the common routine is to make my own cuppa at home, but sometimes I just like the "expensive" and lazy way out.
You gotta live a little!
Today I decided to walk to my favorite coffee shop. It was just about a 10 minute walk from home, and from there I usually walk and sip away till I'm at the metro station.
As I kept closing in towards the coffee shop, I noticed that there wasn't much of a crowd present at that time, which was odd. Because this place is always fairly packed, especially early in the morning since it's in the heart of he city.
When I reached the doorstep I saw a big sign hanging on the entry door which said ONGOING MAINTENANCE WORK.
Couldn't have timed it any better, could they?
If your morning starts off like this, then you can bet that the rest of the day won't be so jolly. Sigh!
Yet, coffee or no coffee, I had to reach and check in at the office on time. If only I could call the office and pull off an "ONGOING MAINTENANCE" on myself, that'd be a dream come true.
As I walked down the sidewalk of sorrows, I noticed a funky looking restaurant at a distance. It's just themed that way, with bright colors, designs and all. You can see it from a mile a away, no way you can miss. A fairly big crowd was there too, people getting in and out like some kind of a machine operated factory. So I decided to check out what the fuss was all about.
When I reached the restaurant, I realized that it was actually a coffee shop, named Cyber-Cafe.
It's not every day you get to see a futuristic cyberpunk themed coffee shop in the middle of the city. This is a city where everyone likes it posh and fancy, so this café surely did stand out. Which is good for business I'd say.
Since it caught my attention and seemed to be doing a good job, I decided to walk in and order my usual, a cappuccino to-go.
I was blown away after seeing the pace they were maintaining here, no wonder it's operating as if it's all automated, like a high-tech factory. They had some skilled people operating behind the desks, and it was teamwork at its finest.
I received my cup of coffee in less than 5 minutes too, which is probably the fastest service I've received. I surely was happy with the service and the coffee was good too.
As I sipped on and bolted towards the metro, I noticed something a bit off about the coffee container. Something in the cup was moving and making noise. So as I took my seat on the metro and was on my last sip, I noticed there was a second compartment under the cup. After opening that second layer I found a little ticket and on it was written...
"YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED"
A bit freaky, but hey, I wasn't expecting "you're a wizard, Harry." either.
At the back it said to bring the ticket to the counter, so I kept the ticket in my wallet. The plan was to finish up work at the office and when I'm heading back I'll show it at the counter.
Work really didn't feel like work today, I thought I was gonna relax a bit, but this mystery ticket was messing with my mind. I felt so restless, thanks to my curious mind and this pesky little ticket.
Yet, after 6 long hours, I was finally out. These 6 hours today felt more like 12 hours actually.
As I rode back on the metro, the whole ride I was just staring at that ticket, trying to figure out what it was and its purpose.
Ultimately, I was at that mystery cafe's doorsteps, difference is that there wasn't much of a crowd this time. It felt as if it was only me who was present then and there, other than the staff.
So, after a nervous gulp, I built up the courage and walked up to the counter with the ticket. I handed the ticket over to the barista and he didn't even take a minute to look at it. He took it and went to the back room in a hurry, leaving me all tensed at the counter.
Funny, how at first that ticket was the reason for all this tension, and now its absence is causing all this stress. Huh!
A long minute passes by, probably the longest 60 seconds of my life, and the barista shows up again.
He comes up to me and hands over a fancy Synthwave x Cyberpunk themed card. And gives me the news, that I was one of the 50 lucky winners who will from now on be receiving a flat 20% discount for one whole year. The relief!
These people surely know how to keep you on your toes.
Yet, I say all of that stress paid off in the end, and it wasn't a bad day after all.